Slow Cooker Recipes for Busy Women

2018 Update: While we still stand by these slow cooker recipes for busy women, you may also want to check out our most recent roundup of 5 all-day crockpot recipes (right alongside 5 super fast Instant Pot recipes!).

When we were doing our roundup of posts to help with your resolutions, I realized it’s been too long since we had an open thread with shared crock pot recipes. So many recipes have easy prep, easy clean up, and such a long cook time that you can start your dinner before you even leave the house in the morning. I’ve always been a huge fan of slow cookers, even in my singleton days — if I wasn’t planning on working late enough to get a Seamless dinner and didn’t have dinner plans, odds are good I had something brewing in the slow cooker for an easy weeknight dinner. I’m a big fan of using the slow cooker to “lock me in” to healthier choices than I might make otherwise. Shall I stop in to the fast food place? Nah — I’ve got food waiting for me in the crockpot at home. To that end I’ve made a ton of stuff in the slow cooker that you don’t need to make in a slow cooker — pierogies, fried rice (with brown rice and/or quinoa), and meat sauce all come to mind. I’ve posted some of my favorite recipes before (like the 5-ingredient Moroccan Chicken Lentils Stew or my super-healthy pulled pork) but I’ve pasted another one we like, Mediterranean Beef Stew (in my slow cooker right now!) below. (Pictured.) So, ladies, please share — are you the fan of slow cooked dinners? Which are your favorite slow cooker recipes?

For what it’s worth I almost always use a slow cooker liner to make cleanup easier, and although I have some fancier slow cookers, my favorite one remains an old 4.5 quart one similar to this $30 one, pictured above. (Pro tip: just make sure the stoneware is entirely removable — I had a cheap one when I first got out of college that had the stoneware attached to the electric base and it made cleaning a total pain.) If you haven’t used a slow cooker before, note that there are a ton of recipes for vegans and meat-eaters alike — and these days a lot of recipes go well beyond canned cream of mushroom soup. (Though, FWIW, I really like cream of mushroom soup — but I avoid cream of chicken soup like the plague. If you get the boxed soup or boxed tomatoes it’s a bit healthier because you avoid BPA.)

Another note: cooking for the freezer has become hugely popular — people will cook double amounts or cook several recipes in one weekend in order to fill their freezer with pre-cooked meals. Another popular technique is slow cooking from the freezer — pre-assembling slow cooker meals that can just be dumped in — and then freezing those. (I have some links in our Further Reading, below.) I don’t have a lot of experience with either technique, and I’d love to hear your experiences. (I’ll admit I often use frozen veggies, particularly for things like chopped onions (I haaaaate chopping onions for some reason) or at the end of a recipe to bulk it up (like adding a bag of frozen cauliflower to Buffalo Chicken Pasta), but I tend to raise my eyebrows at a recipe that just has you chopping fresh vegetables and adding them to a freezer bag along with raw meat and other ingredients, without blanching them first — but maybe it just doesn’t matter in a stew or whatnot.) Oh, a lot of people are also doing things like ricing cauliflower to use with stew dishes instead of using white rice, which is something I’ve yet to try, but fits with my “the more vegetables the better” philosophy.

Place zucchini in bottom of a 3.5 quart electric slow cooker. Add beef and remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on high setting 5 hours or until meat is tender. Or, cover and cook on high setting 1 hour, reduce to low setting, and cook 7 hours. Remove and discard cinnamon stick before serving.
Yield: 4 servings.

I like to serve it with crusty, fresh bread or rolls, but that’s me — it’s a very low carb recipe otherwise. :)

Comments

I’m a huuuuge fan of the freezer cooking – much more so than the slow cooker since I don’t like the texture. I swear by the Kitchn’s Chicken and Wild Rice Bake (which keeps the raw meat and other pre-prepped things in separate baggies until cooking time, which addresses Kat’s safety concerns) and their Crustless Mini-Quiches (avoiding links for moderation, but you can find the recipes easily on Google). I also usually have at least one homemade soup in the freezer. I tend to cook a lot on Sundays or the weekends, and then do minimal cooking during the week.

After that story on the kitchn I bought the book (Not Your Mother’s Make Ahead and Freeze Cookbook), which has other good recipes. We have a small family so I freeze two half-recipe packets each time I make something. It is a huge help during busy weeks.

I’ve never left my crockpot on during the day when I’m not home for fear I’d accidentally burn my apartment down, which limits crockpot meals to the weekend (crockpot favorites: chili and gumbo). Am I being unnecessarily paranoid?

Probably, but would it be an option to cook things overnight, move them to the fridge in the morning, and then a quick reheat in the microwave when you got home? Chili and gumbo would work well that way.

Probably, but I am the same way. I won’t worry about leaving it on if I have to run out to the grocery store or something, but I don’t put it on while I’m away at work for 8+ hours. I save slow cooker meals for weekends or days when someone in the house will be home most of the day.

I just googled safety tips for crock pots. Make sure they are around 2/3 to 3/4 full and don’t leave them on high. Make sure there is space around the crockpot (nothing flammable on top of it, which seems pretty obvious that you wouldn’t stack newspaper on top of a hot appliance) and that your countertop is ok with getting warm.

With those precautions they are perfectly safe. People say they worry about electrical fires but no one unplugs the refrigerator when they leave the house.

I was given a Crockpot for a wedding gift but gave it away after never using it. A friend gave me a large one to try to see if I would use it now. I’ve used it once and it’s great but old, so it has just high and low and it’s not well insulated. I don’t think I would leave it all day while I’m at work. If I end up liking it, I’ll buy a newer one. Like others, I only see it being useful for soups, stews, roasts, and I don’t eat a lot of that kind of thing (well, I eat soup but generally it doesn’t need a slow cooker). So I’m trying to figure out what to cook in it that I’ll eat. My SIL gave me a chicken barbecue recipe that I liked in concept, but the sauce is a bit sweet for me. Still working on it!

I gave away the one we got as a wedding gift too. I’ve gone through several since then, and used it twice this week (korean beef lettuce wraps and Italian wedding soup). Turned out it’s a godsend with kids to feed.

Yes! We have an OLD white one, and a newer black one. We crock from frozen. In the old one on low heat, everything is fine and ready when we get home. With the new one, even on the longest possible time (10-hour mark), everything is overdone and dry or burnt.

Oh, interesting! My friend (who is in her late 60s) gave it to me when she moved. Apparently it was her mother’s. It has a green removeable crock and it’s flowered on the outside. She gave it to me because I’m much more likely to cook for a crowd than she is and it’s a bigger one. I just need to find recipes I like. I found a few today!

I was home yesterday and read through a slow cooker recipe book I have, looking for more weeknight options. Except it pretty much had ten versions of essentially the same recipes, so I’d like some good options. I know Pinterest has a bunch, but I sort of hate Pinterest.

I like doing buffalo chicken dip, chili/cheese or nacho dips. I do stew meat with an au jus seasoning packet and 3 cups of water, then add frozen egg noodles for a half hour after I get home. Pork roasts are good with any sort of marinade. Chicken breasts/chicken broth/two cans of cream of chicken soup, with quartered Pillsbury biscuits added for a half hour at the end for chicken and dumplings.

I’ve found a lot of recipes that call for cream of mushroom soup – what do people suggest as an alternative if I despise mushrooms?

You could use cream of chicken soup, but honestly, canned cream of mushroom soup has very little relationship to actual mushrooms. My Dad hated mushrooms and he would eat a casserole with cream of mushroom soup (but he would pick out the teeny tiny pieces of mushroom). Campbell’s also makes cream of asparagus, which might work.

How timely! Just got my first slow cooker and would love to hear about favorite recipes. For anyone researching slow cookers to buy, I highly recommend the one I just got. It has a “thermometer probe” that allows you to set the slow cooker to shut off when what’s inside reaches your desired temperature. It’s great for cooking meat. After TONS of research, this Hamilton Beach one is the only one I found with the thermometer feature. So far I’m very happy with it.

I love slow cooked meals, but as a single gal, I can’t stand eating the same thing for so many servings, and I’m not great at freezing extras. I wish there were more crock pot recipes for just 1-2 servings.

I don’t know why it is this one in particular, but the title of this post irks me. I get it that you need some specific terms for SEO, but the whole site is for busy women, and layering on the phrase in this case assumes that women are the only ones cooking in a busy family and feels incredibly sexist.

Just to offer a counterpoint, I appreciated that the title of the post was for “Busy Women” instead of “Busy Moms,” since non-moms are usually busy, too. (Maybe I’ve been reading too many mommy/lifestyle blogs?) I guess “Slow Cooker Recipes for Busy People” would have addressed the issue just as well (although I assume that men don’t often read here?).

It annoyed me too, even though rationally I understand Kat didn’t mean only women cook, just that most readers of the blog are women. I think “Slow Cooker Recipes for Busy Professionals” would have been a better title. My husband does 90+% of the cooking in our house.

Why do you assume people who use slow cookers are cooking for a family? I’m a single woman and a busy person who uses her slow cooker all the time. Seems to me you inserted the “family” into this, not Kat.

I have just been informed I have ONE MONTH to find a bridesmaids dress in “blush pink.” Floor length or knee length (minimum 38″ dress) is fine, but it must have sleeves. I’ve ordered a couple from Nordstrom that haven’t worked. I’ve checked online at all my typical places without luck (Bloomingdales, Saks, Saks off 5th, Neiman, Last Call, Nordstrom Rack, Ann Taylor, Banana, Loft, Limited, Macy’s, Dillard’s. even Polyvore and outnet…). I’m hoping to spend under $150 (turns out, pink is not my color and I’m never wearing it again).

Anywhere else I should look online? Or do you ladies recommend just biting the bullet and trying to go to a real store? I live in a major city with lots of shopping but big law associate, blah blah blah.

I had a similar last-minute bridesmaid dress situation last May: tea length and metallic light silver (NOT matte grey or gunmetal or…). After exhausting every other place I could think of, I ended up custom ordering online from China. I know it sounds risky and weird but I’m here to tell you, the dress was absolutely perfect and I received it within 10 days (with expedited shipping) and it was under $150. The company is FashionToken.

Was just flipping through my mothers latest chadwicks of Boston catalog. They have an ‘elbow sleeve sheath dress’ in ‘pink champagne’ (looks like blush to me) that might work for you. And the $60 price tag can’t be beat if your never going to wear it again! :)

I basically only use mine for chicken stock. I make a roast chicken once per week on average, so after the meal I throw in the carcass and whatever veggie parts I have around (onion tops, carrot peels, etc) and cover with water. Set to low and cook overnight and sometime the next day, strain into mason jars. Voila, a freezer full of homemade chicken stock. I use it in everything.

We get a rotisserie chicken fairly often but it never occurred to me to make stock. Does it work well with just water, or do you really need the vegetables? Usually the rotisserie is because we’re low on food around the house in general. I love them. I roast a good chicken but the rotisserie is usually cheaper, which baffles me.

What I usually do with chicken carcasses is throw them in a freezer bag and save up a few to make a huge batch of stock. I also toss veggie trimmings into the bag as I go, so when I’m ready to make stock I have a bag full of everything I need.

Grocery store rotisserie chickens are usually injected with or brined in lot of sodium and are not that good for you. If you make a good chicken at home, that’s much healthier. I’d also never use a grocery store rotisserie chicken for stock for this reason, since when I buy chicken broth I normally buy a low-sodium version.

You can actually use your crock pot to make a roasted chicken. Roll up three or four balls of foil and put them in the bottom of the crock pot for the chicken to rest on. Rub the chicken with olive oil or butter and season with whatever your like ( lemon pepper, rosemary, etc). Put in the crock pot on high for a short period and then low for longer ( you can look up times per pound on internet). I make sure it is done by checking temp with a meat thermometer. I then use the meat throughout the week for lunches, and have the carcass for making stock later.

I did this once, and the stock that resulted was pretty flavorless — not worth the time and effort even though I was starting from a store-bought rotisserie chicken!
But then I think some salt is necessary for flavor. I don’t buy low-sodium stock (even from brands like Imagine Foods, Pacific, Trader Joe’s organic) because I find those flavorless too.

My theory is that it’s when the marrow starts to dissolve into the soup that it gets so delicious. I made multiple batches of stock when I had 6 chicken carcasses, and basically kept them just below a simmer in my canning pot for a full weekend. Most flavorful, chickeny, delicious stock ever. Soups made with that stock don’t taste like they even need salt.

Here’s my favorite, a vegan stew that meat-eaters in my family also have loved. I add a half pound or more of chopped or sliced carrots, use fresh garlic instead of dried and cut the black pepper to 1/2 tsp (because the 2 tsp it calls for makes it so hot it has to be a misprint).

This does make a lot — I use a larger crockpot — so I don’t make it much now that I live alone, but it probably could be cut in half. One of the best thing about this recipe is that it can cook on low all day; I don’t understand the “cook for four hours” thing, why use a crockpot?

Another thank you for vegetarian recipes. Always looking for them, too. My favorite is below. You do need to saute some before combining it all in the slow cooker. I assumed for the food to taste yummy sauteing something would be necessary. But I’m definitely open to recipes that don’t require it.

I usually cook it on low for about 8 hours and I definitely leave it on while I’m at work. It makes about 11 servings. I put leftovers in individual plastic containers and freeze them. And then I make a new batch every 6 weeks or so. My only tweaks are to add frozen corn, bump the wine up to a cup and a half, and substitute diced tomatoes for whole tomatoes.

I love the Hamilton Beach slow cooker that has a timer, so it automatically switches to “warm” after your set amount of time. I’m frequently gone for more than 8 hours so I love that my food won’t be totally nuked by the time I get home.

I’ve done a few recipes from the Year of Slow Cooking blog (and her cookbook). Most fall firmly into the “ok” category for me – not anything amazing, but definitely better than another night of takeout.

This is probably my favorite recipe from there, although I make some tweaks (leave out celery, black beans instead of pinto, extra spices). I’ve also made this and then drained off the sauce and used the chicken and beans for burrito filling (I put the sauce back in the slow cooker and cooked it down until super thick to have with burrito bowls a different night).http://www.ayearofslowcooking.com/2010/01/enchilada-chicken-chili.html

My biggest disappointment was probably an Indian recipe from the cookbook. The house smelled soooo good all day (made it on a Saturday) but the food itself had hardly any flavor of the spice at all. It was disapointing, to say the least.

This is one of my FAVORITE recipes. It’s super easy and delicious. Comes out fork tender with a slight crisp depending on how long you cook it. I used a boston butt roast for the one I made yesterday. The juice is delish. I’m drooling and can’t wait to get home to eat more of it.

I primarily use my slow cooker to cook dried beans, but I also like to cook chicken thighs in it with either honey, garlic, and soy sauce, or chili powder and jalepenos. The chicken thighs have enough fat that they don’t dry out when cooked all day.

Any recipe suggestions that would use red potatoes and ground beef (slow cooker or not)? I am willing to make a stop at a store to pick up additional ingredients. I googled and everything suggested just cooking them with salt, which sounds super unflavorful.

That could be the basis of a beef stroganoff sort of dish — I would saute some chopped onions and mushrooms, then brown the beef in the same pan. The cook the beef and veggies along with the potatoes in some beef broth until the potatoes are done (in a slow cooker or just simmering on the stove top). A bit of dijon mustard and some dill (fresh or dried) would be nice additions. Just before serving, stir in some sour cream. You could also cook the potatoes separately, mash them up and serve the beef/mushroom sauce on top.

I like to use my slow cooker to make large batches of chicken that I can use throughout the month. I buy a 10lb bag of frozen chicken breasts and will cook up a couple different batches in the slow cooker. A batch with seasoning for tacos, quesadillas, or on top of salads. One with barbeque sauce for sandwiches. One with teriyaki sauce for stir fry, and a plain batch for using in casseroles. Then I package them all in meal size portions and freeze.

If you google “Vaguely Vietnamese Slow Cooker Pork Tacos” from the New York Times, that produces LOTS of delicious pork that can go into noodle bowls, wraps, tacos and more. It uses pork shoulder seasoned with sesame oil, onion, garlic, ginger, hoisin sauce, fish sauce, and sriracha. The accompanying slaw recipe is very good, too.

Also: You can get paint off door hinges or other hardware using your crockpot. Toss ’em in the crockpot with water and a couple teaspoons powdered laundry detergent and cook on low overnight. The 50 years of layers of paint will just slide off!

Chicken tikka masala! I have two versions — 1) the dump it all in at once version and 2) taking 5-10 minutes to saute the garlic/onion/ginger/spices before dumping it in the slow cooker. I prefer version #2, but version #1 is still delicious. I serve this over rice, quinoa, cauliflower rice, roasted cauliflower, or roasted potatoes. I generally double the recipe so I can get multiple meals out of it.

Version #1 (when you have less than zero time):
Put the chicken thighs in the slow cooker.
Add the chopped onion, garlic, ginger, tomato paste, curry powder, paprika, and salt until the chicken is evenly covered with spices.
Stir in the diced tomatoes with their juices.
Set the slow cooker on low for 8 hours.
Optional: Once it’s done cooking, take the lid off and stir in a few dollops of greek yogurt or coconut milk to taste. I also like adding a few tbsp ground cashew or almond flour. It makes it taste very creamy and nutty.

Version #2 (this adds 5-10 minutes of prep time but it’s worth it if you have the time):
Sauté the onions and garlic in a little oil over medium-high heat in a skillet until softened, then stir in the ginger, tomato paste, and spices until it starts to smell good.
Put the chicken thighs in the slow cooker.
Transfer the sauted onion mixture to the slow cooker with the chicken and diced tomatoes and stir everything together.
Set the slow cooker on low for 8 hours.
Optional: Same as Version #1.

Cooking in a crockpot is one thing, but using a plastic liner for hot food that cooks slowly over time? There is NO way that’s good for you. The convenience is definitely not worth the exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals.

My biggest slow-cooker tip is for chicken, use boneless thighs instead of breasts. They hold up to long cooking sooo much better. Two favorite recipes are chicken w/ barbeque (literally a bottle of Melvin’s and some brown sugar, ACV and mustard) and chicken with vaguely salsa-like ingredients. I also make chili – brown the meat first then dump in all the beans and tomatoes and spices.

I have beef stew going in my crock pot right now too! Love coming home to a finished dinner. If you don’t have a crock pot, I recommend the Instant Pot-it is a pressure cooker/slow cooker/rice maker in one machine! If I don’t have time to make a crock pot recipe in the am to cook all day, I can cook the same meal in the Instant Pot with pressure in 15-30 minutes.

I got an Instant Pot for Christmas and I LOVE it. You can braise frozen chicken thighs (for white chili, for example, or chicken tacos) in 20 minutes! Brown rice in 20-25 minutes! I made black bean soup from unsoaked, dry beans in just over an hour last weekend. It has a saute setting so you can brown meat before adding your liquid, instead dirtying a separate pan.

I’ve had a crock pot for years but only used it on weekends or work from home days (less because of safety concerns and more because I’d be away for 10-12 hours and my food would over cook even on the low setting), but I’ve been using the Instant Pot at least once a week. I want to experiement with soaking things (beans, wheat berries) while I’m at work and cooking them when I get home.

I love my instant pot. I only use the pressure cooker and sauté functions (I don’t like the texture of slow-cooker meat, and the yogurt I made in it turned out grainy) but it makes the most delicious chicken stock, perfect dried beans, risotto (the serious eats mushroom risotto is one of my top ten dishes of all time), The Kitchn BBQ pulled chicken cooks in 20 mins. I have become a pressure cooker evangelist. I don’t know why they’re not more popular–you don’t need to plan ahead at all.